At long last, I've scoured through the amazing entries you guys sent for the Frosty the Snow Crash challenge... just in time for your snowmen to melt on a fine Spring day. I apologize for the delay, but I had to finish writing my new 6-day SANS course and work with Matt Carpenter to write the new "It Happened One Friday" challenge, which has consumed me for 80+ hours per week over the past several months. But, now it's time to announce our winners for the Frosty the Snow Crash challenge. The competition was fierce, as many of you submitted brilliant work. I was dazzled with your technical prowess and delighted with your creativity.

Please remember that judging was very difficult. I spent between ten and ninety minutes reading each response and carefully divining the best of the best. Besides the actual winning entries, those that received honorable mention are quite brilliant, and deserve kudos. Don't be disappointed if you got an honorable mention but didn't win. An honorable mention in a contest like this is a major accomplishment, given the really high quality of the many entries we received.

Remember Challenge Fans, as always, we’ll award three prizes: One for the best technical answer, one for the most creative answer that is technically correct, and one awarded to a winner chosen randomly. This month’s prize is my book, Malware: Fighting Malicious Code, which I authored with Lenny Zeltser.